Back To The Beginning of Hogwarts- Merlin, Dragons, Spells, and More
by huffleclaw22
Summary: McGongall brings a select group of sixth year students on a "field trip" of sorts where they get to go back in time to learn more about the history of Hogwarts, and sorcery itself. Not sure where I'm going with this, so review and let me know what you guys think! (T for possible future chapters). Also when you review, feel free to make suggestions on things to change etc.
1. McGonagall's Mission

A/N: **Okay so this is me doing what I do best, coming up with yet another fanfic not to be updated for awhile, don't hate me...I have a bad habit OK?! Oooh and alsooo JKR rocks Dobby's socks, all the copyright belongs to her, she's a genius and I couldn't create such a wonderful thing if I tried. **

***I've been asked in a review to "warn" all of you that ships in this fic include Romione, apparently there's plenty of people who don't like that ship or something...sorry...***

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**A/N 2 (pre-fic background info); **Sooo this is basically an alternate Half Blood Prince. Alternate meaning straying from the original plot, such as but not limited to; Draco is NOT preoccupied with the Dark Lord's mission and is having a normal year, Hannah Abbott's mother does not get murdered by Death Eaters so she doesn't get pulled out of Hogwarts, and basically just the fact that due to the wacky plot-none of this fits in with the original plotline. The only things that remain the same are the fact they're in sixth year, and all major events that happened in Half Blood Prince do happen but aren't covered in this fic. Why you might ask; because I needed certain characters to be in it, and if I had Half Blood Prince in it's original plotline then this wouldn't really fit...it would be too "out there" with the circumstances surrounding the original plot. I'm sorry if I bored you with my background info, but without it, you might find this fic extremely confusing and well, odd! PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU LIKE THIS, I NEED REVIEWS! :D

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_**Chapter one; McGonagall's Misson**_

It was a less than normal day in the sixth year Transfiguaration class, normally McGonagall would be halfway through one of her lectures, but today she just sat her desk pondering something. The class was so thrown off by their Professor's lack of teaching, they were actually quiet, and watched her intently...waiting for something, _anything_ to happen.

Finally, she stood up in front of them, holding a long piece of parchment. "Now class, I have an announcement," she began.

Everyone looked up at their Professor eagerly.

McGonagall nodded "It's come to the attention of the Hogwarts staff that your education is deficient in the subject of magical history, this isn't good because by this time next year you'll have the NEWT testing. We've alerted the Ministry of Magic of this problem, and they have granted us permission to send a select group of students on a sort of 'field trip' if you will-" she continued.

Hushed whispers spread across the room, the sixth years looked on in excited anticipation.

McGonagall smiled "This isn't a regular field trip, because it involves...time travel," she told them.

More hushed whispers emerged, much more excited than the last time.

McGonagall nodded again "Now, understand this, not all of you will be going. Professor Dumbledore and I have comprised a list of who in this class will be going, if you are called up and do not wish to participate, please let me know and I will let a volunteer go in your place," she said.

Some disappointed whispers and groans could be heard.

McGonagall cocked a serious eyebrow "Do I make myself quite clear?" she asked sternly.

The class nodded their response.

McGonagall picked up her scroll of parchment "Please come forward when I call your name, there will be six students per house," she said.

The class nodded again, confirming they understood.

McGonagall looked down at the scribbled list of names. "From Hufflepuff; Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Ernie MacMillan, Wayne Hopkins, Leanne Runcorn, and Justin Finch-Fletchley," she called.

A group of Hufflepuffs got up from their seats and walked over, they stood next to McGonagall's desk to await further instructions.

McGonagall adjusted her glasses and continued. "From Ravenclaw; Terry Boot, Lisa Turpin, Anthony Goldstein, Mandy Brocklehurst, Michael Corner, and Morag MacDougal," she called.

A group of Ravenclaws also got up from their seats and joined the group of Hufflepuff's by McGonagall's desk, they too waited for more instructions.

McGonagall cleared her throat, glancing down at her names list. "From Gryffindor; Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Seamus Finnigan, Neville Longbottom, and Lavender Brown," she called.

The Gryffindors eagerly rushed over to their head of house's desk. Harry, Ron, and Hermione grinned at eachother.

McGonagall fixed one of her hairpins and glanced at the list one last time. "Finally from Slytherin; Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Millicent Bullstrode, Gregory Goyle, Daphne Greengrass, and Pansy Parkinson," she called, then folded up the parchment again.

The Slytherins walked swiftly up to the desk as well. Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were smirking.

The remaining students looked a tad put out that they weren't picked, but smiled and clapped for their classmates. McGonagall turned to face the crowd of picked participants. "Oh excellent!" she beamed.

Hannah Abbott slowly raised her hand, "Miss Abbott," McGonagall nodded at her to ask her question. "Professor, what exactly is this we're doing?" she asked.

McGonagall grinned "Let me explain, you will be travelling back in time to the founding of Hogwarts, you will have the opportunity to meet the original founders and learn about the beginnings of sorcery, and while you are there, you will be doing specific jobs that I will assign to you," she said.

Harry also raised his hand, "Potter," McGonagall nodded for him to ask his question. "But Professor, how will we just...travel back in time?" he asked. Several of the other students nodded in confused agreement.

McGonagall placed the scroll of names back on her desk. "The Ministry has lent us a very special, very expensive, magical object that I will explain all about once we've sorted everything else out. Now, is there any of you who do not wish to participate in this?"

No one in the assembled group of students raised their hands, to the disappointment of many who didn't get chosen still at their desks.

McGonagall smiled "Good. Then you will all meet in my office after dinner tonight, you won't need to bring any of your belongings, be seated," she said.

They all went back to sit in their seats, except for Terry Boot. "Professor, how long exactly is this trip?" he inquired.

McGonagall glanced at a piece of parchment on her desk "Two days," she replied, fixing her glasses again. Then she grabbed her wand and slowly stood up again, making her way over to the board to begin the lesson. Terry shrugged and walked back to his desk.

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The trip was a big conversation topic among the participating sixth years throughout dinner in the Great Hall that evening. Finally, it was time for them all to meet back in McGonagall's classroom. Everyone rushed down right after dinner ended, not wanting to miss a minute of the action.

McGonagall was waiting for them, a smile spreading across her face as they entered. "Now, we'll be travelling via a time travelling portkey, yes, certain portkeys are able to travel through time but are usually kept locked up deep within the Ministry of Magic. They have been kind enough to let us use it," she spoke aloud.

Ernie high fived Wayne "That's so cool!" he exclaimed. Leanne ran her fingers lightly across the large ancient spellbook that would serve as their portkey.

Justin grinned "Brilliant!" he agreed.

Harry and Ron's eyes widened in excitement. Hermione leaned in for a closer look. "I've read about these!" she said.

Ron rolled his eyes "No one cares!" he snapped, grinning in excitement.

Seamus nodded, his eyes lit up at the thought of time travel. "That's insane, awesome!" he exclaimed.

Hermione sighed and exchanged an annoyed glance with McGonagall. "Wow..." Neville breathed in awe.

Terry, Anthony, and Morag all examined the giant old spellbook on McGonagall's desk. "I still find portkeys to be fascinating objects, I've yet to see one that can travel in time!" Terry mused excitedly.

Hannah raised her hand again "Professor I know you said not to bring anything, but what do I do about my ferret, he can't take care of himself?" she wanted to know.

Millicent let out a bellowing laugh. "Don't be so stupid Abbott, like she's actually going to let you bring a ferret on a this time travel trip!" Pansy scoffed. Daphne giggled stupidly while Draco and his goons snickered.

McGongall shot the two Slytherin girls a warning glare. "Miss Abbott, you may not bring the ferret, I assure you that the way this time travelling magic works, your ferret will be perfectly alright on it's own," she explained.

Susan noticed that Hannah was a bit shaken at the thought of leaving her ferret. "It's safer for him here at Hogwarts, Merlin knows what would happen if he wandered off, then he'd be lost a thousand years in the past!" she whispered, trying to reassure her friend.

Neville, who had been hiding his toad Trevor in his robes for the same reason, overheard this and raised his hand. "Professor, could I bring something back to my dormitory really fast?" he asked.

McGonagall smiled knowlingly "Yes, you and Miss Abbott may bring your..._belongings _back to your dormitories, but go and come back quickly! We don't have much time," she told them.

Neville and Hannah ran out of the room while McGonagall continued to issue directions. "Any questions?" she asked.

Lisa raised her hand. "Miss Turpin," McGonagall pointed a wadded up scroll towards her giving her permission to speak. "You said we'd all have jobs to do, what does that mean exactly?" she wanted to know.

Leanne nodded "What sorts of jobs?" she added to Lisa's question.

McGonagall smiled, clapping her hands together. "I'll know more once we arrive, any other questions?" she offered.

Hermione spoke up "Professor, where are we travelling to? I know it's about a thousand years ago, but will we end up at Hogwarts or somewhere else?" she asked.

McGonagall considered this for a moment "I'm not quite sure Miss Granger, I'd assume somewhere on the castle grounds, so most likely in the isolated area of glens surrounding the castle, we'll have to walk a ways to reach Hogwarts," she replied.

Michael spoke next "When are we leaving again?" he asked.

Lavender clapped excitedly "Yes when Professor?" she asked eagerly.

McGonagall craned her neck to peer out into the corridors. "As soon as Mr. Longbottom and Miss Abbott get back," she said.

Mandy and Morag were discussing how exciting it was to be chosen as they admired the portkey. "So how will we all get transported, there's only a few corners of the book?" Mandy inquired.

McGonagall thought for a minute "I'd assume as long as you're touching some part of it, you'll be transported, not everyone needs an edge," she replied.

Just then, Hannah rushed back into the room, followed by a panting Neville mere seconds later. "Sorry, ready!" Hannah said. They joined the group huddled around the big textbook portkey that would take them back in time.

McGonagall nodded "Now, on the count of three, everyone grab hold of some part of the book. 1-2-3!" They all grabbed the book, and were thrown into a swirling vortex of yellow, blue, red, and green with a bright flash of light.

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**A/N 3: **Did you guys like that? Like, do you enjoy the idea? I'm not exactly sure if this is a bit too "out there" or not...it's a bit of an odd idea for a fanfic so I want your feedback before I post more chapters! :)


	2. One Thousand Years Ago

**A/N: JKR is awesome sauce. Nuff said.**

**Hey guys, soooo I got two reviews on this and I really appreciate it, please keep reviewing! Shout out to Irishdanceringrulz1776 for their awesome idea/suggestion, I will definitely do that! (Most likely in chapter 4 or 5).**

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_**Chapter two; One Thousand Years Ago**_

The group of sixth years hit the ground hard. They had landed in the glens that surrounded Hogwarts castle, it was morning and the sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky. "Ow!" Susan and Hannah squeaked, landing on top of eachother. Everyone got up and brushed themselves off, looking around curiously.

Hermione's face fell "Where's Professor McGonagall?" she asked suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at her and, realizing their Professor seemed to be missing, began to panic. "Hey! Look up you lot! She's floating from the sky!" Terry exclaimed, pointing upwards towards the sky.

Sure enough, Professor McGonagall landed gracefully on her feet. "Just like your dad and the Diggory's at the World Cup, how do they do that?" Harry whispered to Ron. Ron shrugged "Dunno," he replied, equally annoyed.

Just then, Pansy screamed. "Miss Parkinson! What ever is wrong?" McGonagall spun around in alarm.

Pansy scowled "I've got dirt all over my robes!" she whined.

McGonagall rolled her eyes and adjusted her glasses "Lucky for you, you won't be needing that outift on this trip, I've got special outfits for everyone to change into," she said.

Morag's eyes widened "Special outfits?" she asked. McGonagall nodded and reached into a small bag she was carrying, everyone began to chatter amongst themselves.

Ernie glanced at Wayne "Maybe we'll get to dress up like knights!" he whispered.

Leanne laughed "I doubt that," she said.

Draco snickered "I certainly hope not, there's no bloody way I'm dressing up like a knight, we'd look like idiots!" he said, high fiving Crabbe and Goyle.

Daphne nodded "Besides girls can't dress up like knights, so what would we wear?" she argued.

Mandy rolled her eyes "Really Daphne? Of course we wouldn't dress up as knights, she'd have something different for us to wear, obviously," she stated matter of factly.

Millicent advanced on Mandy "No one asked you Brocklehurst!" she spat.

Terry threw himself between Millicent and Mandy. "Hey! No fighting, we don't want to start causing trouble in a different time period, it's enough you lot are always arguing in our own time!" he said.

Crabbe shoved Terry backwards into Ernie, causing Ernie to accidentally step on Susan's foot. "Don't talk to Millicent, Boot!" Crabbe threatened.

Ernie smiled sheepishly at Susan "Sorry Suz, didn't mean to step on you like that," he apologized.

Susan was rubbing her foot "It's fine," she said. Next to her, Hannah was staring at the sky curiously as she discussed the different shaped clouds with Leanne.

McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, everyone looked at her and noticed she was holding a handful of different colored dresses. "Now, ladies if you'll please come up, line up by houses, Gryffindor first," she announced.

Hermione and Lavender walked up to recieve long ruby colored dresses. "This is gorgeous!" Lavender squeaked in delight, eager to try it on. Hermione's eyes lit up, she grinned "Oh this is lovely Professor McGonagall!" she exclaimed.

McGonagall smiled "Ravenclaw please ladies," she called.

Morag, Mandy, and Lisa went up to recieve long sapphire colored dresses. "Oh Merlin! They're beautiful!" Mandy cried in delight. Morag grinned "Wow..." she breathed, awestruck. Lisa nodded "Yeah," she agreed, eyes wide.

McGonagall grinned "Hufflepuff now, come up ladies!" she said.

Susan, Hannah, and Leanne rushed up to recieve long golden yellow colored dresses. "Merlin's beard!" Hannah squeaked. "I absolutely love these!" Susan exclaimed. Leanne smiled "Me too!" she agreed.

McGonagall clapped her hands together excitedly "Alright ladies now Slytherin!" she called.

Millicent, Daphne, and Pansy charged up to recieve long emerald colored dresses. "These are amazing!" Pansy gushed. "They're so sparkly!" Daphne added with a stupid giggle. "I don't think mine will fit!" Millicent complained.

Harry, Ron, Seamus, Ernie, and Wayne all bust out laughing. McGonagall rolled her eyes at them "I'm sorry Miss Bullstrode, here try this size," she said, handing Millicent a bigger dress. "This one's better," Millicent confirmed.

McGonagall nodded "Now, ladies if you'll please go change...you can go in that woodsy area of there if you please!" she instructed, shooing off all the girls towards a forest area surrounding the glens so she could give the boys their outfits. The girls rushed into the woods to change.

She reached into her bag and pulled out their outfits. "Gentlemen from Gryffindor please," she called.

Harry, Ron, Neville, and Seamus all ran up to get gold padded vests, ruby colored tunics, and black leggings. "Whoa!" Seamus grinned. Harry held up the padded vest against him "This is so cool..." he breathed in disbelief. Ron nodded "Yeah." Neville grinned "These vests are just like warriors wear!" he said.

McGonagall smiled "Alright, Ravenclaw gentlemen!" she said.

Terry, Michael, and Anthony rushed up to get silver padded vests, sapphire colored tunics, and black leggings. "This is bloody brilliant!" Anthony and Michael exclaimed together. Terry grinned "Absolutely awesome!" he agreed.

McGonagall nodded again "Gentlemen of Hufflepuff come on up please," she announced.

Ernie, Wayne, and Justin all hurried over to get charcoal colored padded vests, gold colored tunics, and black leggings. "Well it's not a knight outfit, but warrior's close enough for me!" Ernie said happily. "This is amazingly cool," Wayne said. Justin grinned "I've never gotten to do anything this crazy in my life!" he said.

McGonagall adjusted her glasses. "Slytherin gentlemen, come up!" she called.

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all sauntered up to get silver padded vests, emerald colored tunics, and black leggings. "Oh brilliant, we get to look like dunces!" Draco scowled. "We'll look ridiculous," Crabbe muttered. Goyle shrugged, he didn't really care either way.

McGonagall clapped her hands together "Now hurry and get dressed while we wait for the ladies, then we'll begin our trek up to the castle and I'll explain everything when we get there!" she said. She left them alone and wandered off into the woods to find the girls.

The guys dressed quickly, then began to duel eachother as they brandished their wands around, laughing and joking. Neville and Seamus were in a duel with Ernie and Wayne, Harry and Ron were duelling Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle -but they weren't joking, and Terry and Michael duelled Justin and Anthony.

Draco scoffed "Is that all you've got Potter?" he sneered.

Harry glared at him "Don't push it Malfoy!" he shouted back.

Ernie blasted Neville backwards with a tickling hex, he landed right on top of Hannah, who'd just come out of the woods. "Eek!" Hannah squeaked, alarmed.

Neville blushed crimson "Er, I-I, Hannah..." he mumbled awkwardly. "...uh, sorry," he added quickly. Hannah was blushing bright pink, she smiled faintly but couldn't form a sentence. "Oh, erm, it's fine..." she managed to stutter.

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle bust out laughing. "Nice one Longbottom, that's exactly what the ladies want to see is your long bottom!" Draco teased.

Hannah got to her feet and brushed herself off. "Piss off Malfoy, leave him alone," she said, annoyed. Neville nodded gratefully.

Seamus snickered as Malfoy's face twisted in embarassed anger. "How dare you speak to me like that!" Draco scoffed, glaring at Hannah.

Hannah crossed her arms "Can't hex a girl can you Malfoy?" she taunted.

Crabbe and Goyle stifled laughter, earning dirty looks from Draco, they hung their heads in shame. "Ooooh that sounds like a challenge Malfoy!" Ernie shouted, grinning like a fool.

Draco scowled "Shut your face MacMillan!" he growled. "I'm not afraid of that bubbly badger, if anything she's annoying me," he added with a smirk.

Hannah's jaw dropped, Malfoy did _not _just call her annoying. "Excuse me?" she snapped. Now Neville and Ernie were rushing towards Malfoy, wands raised. Draco lost his smirk and began to back up.

Anthony and Michael came up from behind, blasting him backwards with a stinging hex. "Not so tough now are you?" Ron grinned, not bothering to hide his obvious amusement.

Just then, Hermione emerged from the woods with Morag and Susan. "What in the world is going on?" she demanded, looking at Ron and Harry for an explanation.

Harry and Ron threw their hands up. "Why do you always assume it was us?" Ron asked defensively. He grinned slightly "You look nice by the way 'Mione," he added.

Hermione supressed a blush. "Thanks," she mumbled. Seamus laughed.

Crabbe and Goyle had rushed over to help Draco. "How dare you! My father'll hear about this!" he shouted, getting up and raising his wand towards the three Ravenclaw boys and Ernie. "Rictusempra!" he yelled.

Ernie leapt behind a bush as Michael, Anthony, and Terry fell to the ground laughing. "Leave them be Malfoy!" Harry warned, raising his wand towards Draco again. Draco scoffed "Oh like I'm scared of you Potter," he rolled his eyes.

Harry was just about to throw a hex when Hermione grabbed his wand. "It's not worth it Harry," she said.

Morag quickly reversed the tickling hex and Susan rushed behind the bush to see if Ernie was alright. "Ernie, are you okay?" Susan giggled, seeing Ernie sprawled out behind the bushes, eyes wide. He nodded weakly "Er, yeah." Susan rolled her eyes "Merlin, it's just a tickling hex!" she said, helping him to his feet.

Wayne and Justin were laughing. "Shut it," Ernie mumbled, supressing his own laughter.

Terry, Michael, and Anthony also got to their feet. "Bloody hell Malfoy!" Michael shouted agrily.

Seamus nodded "Yeah no need to be a jerk!" he agreed, his face couldn't hide his amusement at the whole fiasco.

Draco smirked "Oi, the only reason this escalated in the first place is because of Longbottom and his long bottom!" he said.

Neville's face reddened in anger, he was about to defend himself, but Hannah was quicker. "How many times must I tell you to PISS OFF, Merlin's beard!" she shook her head in disgust. Susan and Morag giggled quietly.

Just then, Professor McGonagall emerged from the woods with the rest of the girls, she cleared her throat loudly. "Listen up all of you! It is time for us to go and see the castle, then I will divide you up to begin your missions," she announced. "Please form a line behind me, I don't want anyone getting lost!" she added sternly.

They all lined up and McGonagall started to lead them up towards Hogwarts castle through the glens. "I'll divide you up by house, the Gryffindors will work with the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws will work with the Slytherins, our first stop is the library and there I will assign you your team's job," she explained as they walked.

On the way up, they passed a patch of flowers. Neville picked up a big flower, grinning as he reached over to put in Hannah's long blonde hair. "Here, this looks good on you," he stuttered nervously. Hannah blushed bright pink again "Er, thanks..." she mumbled awkwardly with another faint smile, staring at her feet as they walked up a large hill.

Ron also grabbed a flower "Here Hermione," he said, trying to put it in her hair. He ended up nearly tripping over the back of Justin's foot and Hermione had to catch him so he didn't fall on his face. Harry laughed. "Shut up Harry," Ron groaned, embarassed.

McGonagall shushed them. "Quiet, keep walking!" she shouted back to them. Terry and Lisa were discussing how excited they were to see the Hogwarts library, Michael wanted to see all of the original old spellbooks and texts.

Seamus and Ernie wanted to see all of the old magical artifacts. Everyone was excitedly talking about everything they couldn't wait to see and all the things they wanted to learn about.


	3. Tasks

**A/N: Thanks for the continued reviews. JK Rowling is awesome! (she owns all the copyright to this because Harry Potter isn't mine). **

**So this is the chapter I'm hoping to sort of establish the plot that I'm trying to get at, I still don't know exactly where I'm going with this fanfic, so bear with me. Note; from this chapter until maybe 10-ish chapters from now, the fic will be mostly Gryffindor-Hufflepuff centric but the Ravenclaws and Slytherins will come back later (in a VERY BIG way due to a major plot twist) I promise! :) REVIEW.**

**Oh and just so you guys know, I've decided to make this fic so AU that it will end up affecting what happens in Deathly Hallows. So if you get to the end of the chapter and are sort of wondering "doesn't that/won't that contradict book 7" yeah it does. **

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_**Tasks**_

McGonagall led the sixth years up to the castle. "Professor, what if we're seen? I thought wizards and witches had to be very careful when time travelling..." Hermione raised her hand.

Professor McGonagall smiled "Not to worry Miss Granger, we'll blend right in, no one will know who we are, and as long as we don't change the course of history in any way whatsoever, no damage is done," she explained.

Ernie raised his hand "So are we actually going inside the castle Professor?" he wanted to know.

McGonagall nodded "Yes Mr. MacMillan, our first stop is the school's library," she replied.

Morag piped up "What are we looking for in the library?" she asked.

Pansy laughed snobbishly "Oh gee, maybe, a book?" she suggested sarcastically.

McGonagall adjusted her glasses "Yes Miss Parkinson, that is correct, does that answer your question Miss MacDougal?" she asked. Morag nodded.

Finally, they reached the courtyard. Everyone noticed how new the castle seemed; the stone was freshly laid and the landscape wasn't yet fully developed. They all followed Professor McGonagall inside quietly and down to the library. "What time is it Professor?" Leanne asked.

McGonagall smiled "I'm not entirely sure Miss Runcorn, but I'd suspect that it's a bit before the students usually get up for breakfast, so perhaps about seven o'clock," she said.

Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle all rolled their eyes. "When do we get to this job stuff?" Millicent asked eagerly.

Daphne shrugged "I don't know, why don't you ask Professor McGonagall?" she asked.

Millicent rolled her eyes "Not you Daphne, I _was _asking Professor McGonagall, nitwit..." she muttered, shaking her head.

Professor McGonagall shushed them as they passed through the two large mahagony doors into the Hogwarts library. The library was nearly empty, a few students were reading or looking at books, or doing assignments.

They noticed that the library didn't have nearly as many books or scrolls as they were used to seeing, and instead of the musty smell of old parchment, the whole room smelled fresh and new.

Also, the students were dressed in ancient looking clothes instead of the modern uniforms they themselves had. Boys wore white tunics and dark gray leggings while girls wore long dark gray dresses, each student wore either a sapphire, ruby, gold, or emerald cloak depending on what house they were in.

McGonagall kept walking. "This way please," she spoke quietly, motioning for her class to follow.

The sixth years followed her to the very back of the library and sat down outside of the restricted section. McGonagall shushed them again, before disappearing into the restricted section alone.

Michael and Terry began to speculate. "I bet she's looking for some ancient magical artifact!" exclaimed Terry triumphantly. Michael nodded.

Anthony shook his head "Nah, I bet there's a giant secret locked deep in the past, and she wants to riddle it out!" he disagreed. Morag and Lisa nodded.

Harry thought for a minute "Perhaps this all ties into some big mystery that the staff can't figure out in present times, and the answers lie back in this time period?" he suggested.

Draco snorted "Oh please Potter," he scoffed. "I don't even think there's a good reason for all of this, it's just a nice excuse to get out of class," he added.

Harry glared at him "Idiot," he muttered. Draco's mouth dropped "I'll show you who's the idiot!" he spat, kicking Harry hard in the leg. Ron lunged at him but Seamus pulled him backwards.

Hermione rolled her eyes "Can't we all just stop arguing?" she asked, annoyed. "Yeah," Lavender agreed.

Pansy stood up "No one asked you Granger," she spat.

Crabbe and Goyle were smirking. Hermione's face redded in anger, but she didn't say anything. Lavender however, wasn't so quiet. "Hey, don't be such a bitch Pansy!" she squeaked.

Daphne giggled. Pansy shot her a dirty look, then turned her glare on Lavender. "Oh what are you going to do about it, squeak at me and tell Professor McGonagall?" she teased.

Millicent let out a bellowing laugh. Susan stood up "Seriously guys, just knock it off before we all get in trouble!" she hissed. Daphne giggled in Millicent's ear "Who brought the Hufflepuff?" she whispered. Susan rolled her eyes and sat back down next to Leanne and Hannah.

Mandy nodded "Yes, everyone just sit down and shush!" she snapped.

Pansy scoffed "Don't tell us what to do, Bossyhurst!" she said.

Mandy's eyes widened "That's it! I've had it with you..." she reached for her wand, Michael grabbed her arm. "Don't," he whispered. "Let it go," he said. Mandy huffed and sat down with her arms crossed.

Ernie cleared his throat "Honestly you lot, let's try to figure this out. What could we possibly have to do here, what is Professor McGonagall looking for back here?" he posed the question they'd all been trying to ask since they got there.

Anthony considered this for a minute "I still think there's some big secret, maybe even two since we're getting split into two groups, I bet there's some information back there in a big old spellbook or something, and that's the book she's trying to find," he said.

Hannah nodded slowly "Yeah, I like that theory," she agreed.

Neville scratched his head "What could the secret be though?" he stuttered. Hannah shrugged.

Harry thought for a second "Dunno, but it's probably a big deal whatever it is, this should be a good adventure," he said.

Seamus grinned "I'm up for an adventure!" he exclaimed.

Terry nodded "Definitely, I can't wait for Professor McGonagall to get back so we can get started," he agreed.

Morag shushed them "She's coming!" she said excitedly.

Just then, Professor McGonagall emerged from the restricted section with a giant old textbook. "Everyone gather around me, and be very quiet, no questions until I am finished explaining," she told them.

Everyone nodded.

McGonagall adjusted her glasses and opened the giant old book. "Like I said, you will be split into two teams by houses, the purpose being each of you have a job to do," she explained.

Everyone nodded, they already knew this.

McGonagall continued "Now how many of you have heard of the lost diadem of Ravenclaw?" she asked.

All of the Ravenclaws plus Hermione and Ernie raised their hands.

McGonagall nodded "Well, it was believed that whoever wore it would gain more wisdom, Rowena enchanted it herself to do this. However, in this current year, Professor Ravenclaw is fatally ill and the diadem is missing, some had speculated it's disappearance was connected to her daughter Helena-"

Terry's hand shot up. "The Gray lady!" he exclaimed.

Professor McGonagall nodded again "Yes Mr. Boot, that is correct. She has recently gone missing, however Lady Ravenclaw refuses to disclose any information regarding the subject. In present times, the wizarding world still seeks to know of it's whereabouts. Headmaster Dumbledore has done much research on the matter, and we strongly believe the diadem lies in Helena's knowledge," she explained.

Everyone nodded again.

McGonagall continued "The reason we'd like to solve this mystery is because, if found, the diadem is an extremely dangerous magical artifact if in the wrong hands. Professor Dumbledore is worried that with dark forces at large, He Who Must Not Be Named might discover it and use it to wreck even more havoc on the wizarding world. He fears that the Dark Lord may have already found it, but while we are here, I'd like to try and figure out where it _used _to be if it isn't still there," she said.

Everyone nodded their understanding.

Draco raised his hand "Why should we help?" he spat.

McGonagall's expression darkened "Mr. Malfoy, you will help," she told him tersely.

Draco exchanged an odd glance with Crabbe and Goyle, they all nodded in agreement over something when McGonagall wasn't looking. "Whatever," he muttered, giving his goons another weird look of secret agreement.

Professor McGonagall continued "So, this is the job of the Ravenclaws and Slytherins to track down young Helena and find out where she hid the diadem if she's even the one who stole it," she said. "Now, any questions?" she added.

Pansy raised her hand "Why do we have to help the Ravenclaws?, it's _their _diadem not ours," she asked snobbishly.

McGonagall nodded "To answer your question, Miss Parkinson, it's because you will be working alongside the Baron, you know him as the Bloody Baron, who will be asked by Professor Ravenclaw to track down Helena-for those of you who know their story, we know nothing, we'll need the Baron's help. He was a Slytherin, so it would be wise to have the Slytherins work with the Ravenclaws, because he wouldn't listen to the Ravenclaws alone," she explained.

Mandy raised her hand "Should we do something if we find Helena? I mean, tell her to hide so the Baron doesn't stab her? Or tell the Baron not to lose his temper?" she inquired.

Professor McGonagall shook her head sadly "I'm afraid not Miss Brocklehurst, we cannot change the course of history, it against magical time travelling law," she replied. "You are merely trying to gather information, let history run it's course, you'll have to be on the sidelines when it comes time for that," she added.

Mandy nodded "Oh," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

Morag cocked an eyebrow "Wait, Professor, Helena wasn't murdered until the year 1000, isn't it only 996?" she asked.

McGonagall shook her head "We went back roughly one thousand years, but not exactly, the year is 1000, we travelled back nine hundered and ninety six years," she explained.

She then continued "Meanwhile the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors will be working on a different mission. The Great wizard Merlin attended Hogwarts during this time, and he was in posession of an extremely powerful scepter. He recently graduated and it was said that soon after leaving Hogwarts, he mysteriously disappeared. He did not resurface until years later, and the great scepter is nowhere to be found," she explained.

Seamus raised his hand "What does this scepter do?" he asked excitedly.

Professor McGonagall shushed him "It is unknown, Mr. Finnigan. However, it is known that it holds extreme power and in the hands of a witch or wizard can cause extreme damage or do much good, depending on said witch or wizard's motives. Professor Dumbledore has been trying to track it down for ages, he believes it could be the tool capable of stopping even the Dark Lord himself. There is no guarantee that you'll find it, but Dumbledore was curious to see if this time period held any hints, it's your job to find those hints," she said.

Harry grinned "Do you mean to say Professor, that if we are able to find these magical objects, we could stop You Know Who for good?" he asked.

McGonagall smiled "That is entirely possible Potter, now be warned, these quests are not for the faint hearted and can be extremely dangerous, we've selected the group of students we know is capable of handling such missions. Each group will have a leader, I think it is only appropriate to make Mr. Potter head of his group and Mr. Boot will lead the other," she said.

Everyone nodded again, Draco scoffed. Excited whispers spread throughout the group.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat "Now I want you to each get in boy-girl pairs within your groups," she instructed. "Once you've done this I will issue my final words about these missions," she added.

Ron immediately turned to face Hermione "Want to work together 'Mione?" he asked.

Hermione smiled "Sure Ron," she replied. Next to them, Seamus had already paired up with Lavender.

Neville walked nervously over to Hannah "Er, hey Hannah..." he stuttered.

Hannah's eyes widened "Yes!" she squeaked. "Uh, I mean...what were you asking?" she blushed.

Neville ran his hand across his fluffy brown hair "Do you wanna er, y'know, pair up?" he stammered. Hannah nodded eagerly. Neville sighed with relief.

Ernie winked at Susan "Hey, we should work together," he suggested.

Susan giggled "Sure Ernie," she said. Leanne, who was sitting next to her, proceeded to pair up with Wayne.

Harry and Justin were the only ones left in their group. "Er Professor, should we pair up, or join in a group of three?" Harry asked.

McGonagall shrugged "It's your choice," she said. Harry teamed up with Ron and Hermione and Justin joined Ernie and Susan.

Draco glanced at Pansy, she nodded.

Goyle looked at Daphne with a stupid grin across his face, she let out a stupid giggle.

Crabbe turned to Millicent "Do you wanna pair up?" he asked.

Millicent rolled her eyes "Obviously, I definitely don't want to join Boot and Brocklehurst, duh," she replied, nodding towards Terry and Mandy who had just paired up.

Anthony smiled at Morag "Do you want to work together?" he asked. She nodded "Yeah." That left Michael and Lisa to pair up.

Professor McGonagall nodded "Now, concerning the Slytherins and Ravenclaws, it has been speculated that Helena Ravenclaw may have fled the country so in order to track her down and also because I can't leave you alone with the Baron, I will be joining you," she announced.

Everyone nodded.

McGonagall continued "As for the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, you will set up a camp up in the glens surrounding the lake near the woods where we were before, feel free to use the Hogwarts library if you need to research information, but remember this-you cannot be seen, or atleast, reveal who you are or where you came from," she said.

Everyone nodded again.

McGonagall turned towards Harry "Potter, please escort your group to the area where you'll set up your campsite," she instructed. She looked at Hermione "Feel free to help him Miss Granger," she added as an afterthought.

Harry and Hermione nodded "Yes Professor," they said.

Harry turned to his group "Okay everyone, let's go!" he said, grinning. The Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors left the library, they could faintly hear McGonagall telling the Ravenclaws and Slytherins what to do next. "This is going to be wicked!" Ron grinned, Seamus nodded.


	4. Exploring The Glens

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews guys! You rock my (and Dobby's) socks! So does JKR...because she created Harry Potter, and all the copyright belongs to her! :D:D:D (Ps; there's an extremely awkward first kiss in this chapter...can you guess which couple it is?)**

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_**Exploring The Glens**_

Harry and Hermione led the group back outside the grounds and into the surrounding glens near the forest and lake. "Alright, so I guess we should set up our camp here, one problem though, we don't have anything at all to use to set it up..." Harry said.

Hermione laughed "Oh Harry, you didn't think Professor McGonagall would just leave us stranded did you? She handed me this on the way out," she said, holding up a miniature folded up tent.

Ron looked confused "There's no bloody way we could all fit in there!" he exclaimed.

Hermione rolled her eyes "Honestly Ronald, it's called an extension charm, like at the World Cup?" she laughed again. Harry chuckled quietly.

Ernie grinned "Brilliant let's set this thing up then!" he said.

Wayne nodded "Yeah, let's do it!" he agreed.

Seamus clapped his hands together "Okay, how about some of us set up the tent, and we'll send some others to get supplies?" he suggested.

Harry nodded "Yeah that's a good idea Seamus," he agreed.

Ernie grinned again "Oi Harry, I'll help set up the tent!" he offered. Wayne nodded "Me too!" he said.

Harry smiled "Cool, alright, okay you, Ron, Seamus, and Wayne can help me set up the tent," he decided. "Susan and Leanne can go get some water, Hermione and Lavender can go scope out the area for anything that might be useful, Justin can go and get some firewood, Neville and Hannah you guys can help scope out the area with Hermione and Lavender," he added.

Everyone nodded. "Brilliant, meet back here in fifteen minutes and we'll come up with a plan," Harry grinned, clapping his hands together. They all went off to their various jobs.

Harry, Ron, Seamus, Ernie, and Wayne rushed over to put up the tent. "Okay Ron and I will get this end, you guys get the other end," Harry instructed. They all nodded and grabbed their respective ends of the tent, pointing their wands at it until it was inflated.

Harry grinned "Great!" he said. "Let's sit and wait for the others," he added.

Ernie nodded and sat down across from him on a big rock. "So what's the plan Harry?" he asked.

Harry shrugged "Dunno, we'll wait for the others and see what they think, see if they found anything while scoping out the area," he replied.

Seamus, Ron, and Wayne were discussing how hungry they were. Luckily, Susan and Leanne were on their way back with some water. "Is water from the stream okay Harry?" Susan asked as they emerged back into view.

Harry nodded "Yeah it's fine," he smiled.

Leanne set a bucket of water down "When Justin comes back with the firewood we can boil the water," she said.

Seamus cocked an eyebrow "Where'd you guys get a bucket?" he asked curiously.

Susan smiled "There was one just laying by the stream, no one else was there, so we just took it," she said.

Ernie grinned "That's brilliant Suz," he told her. She blushed bright red, almost the shade of her hair.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Lavender were wandering about one end of the forest while Neville and Hannah checked out the other. "What is this?" Lavender asked, picking up an oddly shaped rock.

Hermione grabbed the rock from Lavender's outstretched hand and examined it carefully. "Gee, er, I'm not sure. It almost looks a bit rainbow colored, though," she mused, observing it.

Lavender peered over her shoulder "Cool..." she breathed. "What do you think it does?" she wanted to know.

Hermione shrugged "I don't really know, here let me see..." she pulled out her wand and dropped the rock back onto the forest floor. She then proceeded to flick her wand at it as Lavender watched intently. It was skipped backwards a few feet, and glowed bright orange, Hermione jumped. "Merlin!" Lavender squeaked.

Hermione rushed over to pick it back up "Let me try something else," she said. Lavender nodded "Okay," she said. Hermione flicked her wand at it again "Revelio!" she exclaimed.

Lavender looked confused "Revelio just reveals hidden objects, it won't work on-" She was cut off mid sentence by Hermione's triumphant smirk, the rock had suddenly grown an eyeball. "On second thought, that rock was apparently hiding an eyeball..." she said slowly.

Hermione picked it up "This is genius! The rock can see, check it out!" she exclaimed.

Lavender rushed over and took the rock out of Hermione's hand, she pointed it at the ground, and suddenly she was able to see the ground with great clarity. "Holy gobstones! It's like a super poweful magnifying glass!" she squeaked.

Hermione giggled "I know! It's so cool...we've got to bring it back and show the others, Harry'd love this!" she said.

Lavender nodded excitedly "Maybe we can use it to search for Merlin's scepter thingy!" she suggested.

Hermione nodded "Okay, wait, weren't we supposed to meet Neville and Hannah back here-?" she suddenly began to look around anxiously, it was nearly time to head back.

Lavender shrugged "Perhaps they found something too-?" she looked around also.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps crunching through the woods. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief "Oh good someone's coming, it's probably them," she said. Lavender nodded, they could see a dark haired head bobbing up and down as it came towards them. "If that's Neville...he's alone," she said, confused.

Hermione squinted, just as Justin came out of the clearing with a big bundle of firewood. "Oh, it's Justin," she said. She looked at Lavender "But then where are Neville and Hannah-?" Lavender shrugged.

Justin waved at them "Hello, have you guys found anything yet?" he called, walking towards them.

Hermione waved him over "Yeah Lavender found this really cool rock, it has an eyeball and when you point it at something it's like a magnifying glass!" she exclaimed.

Justin grinned and took the rock out of Hermione's hand, he pointed it at the bundle of firewood under his left arm. "Whoa, I can see a tiny ant crawling on one of the logs, that's brilliant!" he said.

Hermione nodded "Yeah. Hey Justin, do you know where Neville and Hannah are-?" she asked uneasily.

Justin shook his head, cocking an eyebrow. "Er, I thought they were with you guys?" he looked confused. So did Lavender.

Hermione nodded again "Well they were, but then we'd decided to split up to cover more of the area, and we sent them to the other side of the forest..." she said.

Justin shrugged "Uh, perhaps they decided to just go back, let's head back before the others start to worry, I bet they're already there," he replied.

On the other end of the forest Neville and Hannah had discovered something of their own...their feelings for eachother. Hannah was leaning against a tall tree, watching Neville obsess over the different plants. "Neville-?" she spoke softly.

Neville, being the Herbologist he was, didn't look up but continued to examine a weird looking bush. "Need something Hannah-?" he asked.

Hannah bit her lip "I-I just wanted to tell you something..." she mumbled awkwardly. _Merlin's beard, way to sound like a blundering idiot! _She mentally scolded herself.

Neville looked up at her curiously, he brushed off his hands and got to his feet. He could feel his face reddening and his palms began to sweat. _It's probably just the heat from the sunlight...yeah the sunlight that makes Hannah's gorgeous golden hair sparkle...Oh Merlin she looks good in that dress...stop it...but she's so pretty...she looks like a goddess, oh that bodacious badger doesn't know what she does to me..._

Hannah cocked an eyebrow "Neville, why are you staring at me-?" she asked, confused. _Don't be such an idiot! He's probably staring at something else..._

Neville could feel his face flushing bright red "Er, I-I, no reason..." he muttered nervously. _Shit...now what?!_

Hannah blushed bright pink "You like me don't you?" she blurted before she could stop herself. _Oh very subtle, way to scare him off! _She blushed an even deeper shade of pink and slapped her hand over her mouth.

Neville opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. "Er, if I did, would that be a good thing o-or a bad thing-?" he stuttered, shifting nervously on his feet. _Oh good Godric she probably thinks I'm mad..._

Hannah blew a loose strand of long blonde hair away from her face "Er Neville...I-I like you too..." she mumbled, her face was the brightest shade of pink it had ever been. _He looks like he wants to snog me...Oh Merlin I hope he does!_

Neville could feel a wide grin spreading across his face "C-Can we try something?" he asked nervously. _I've wanted to snog her since third year..._

Hannah shifted nervously on her feet and bit her lip again. "Yeah," she mumbled softly, anxiously. _Oh Merlin...this is the best day of my entire life!_

Neville grinned and slowly shuffled over to the tree she was leaning against. Hannah slowly cocked her head to fit under his chin just as Neville was leaning in. "Ow!" They both exclaimed as their noses and foreheads collided.

Hannah went scarlet "Sorry," she mumbled with a shy giggle.

Neville laughed nervously "N-No it's my fault..." he insisted.

Hannah smiled "Try again?" she suggested.

Neville nodded, he leaned in and tipped her head upwards, and ended up smacking into her forehead again. "Damnit, sorry," he muttered, blushing.

Hannah giggled "Three times a charm?" she smiled up at him.

Neville grinned, his nose brushed the top of Hannah's, and he leaned in again, this time...they got it right.

Hermione, Lavender, and Justin returned right on time. "Hey, we're back, have any of you seen Neville and Hannah-?" Hermione looked around uneasily. Harry shook his head "They weren't with you guys?" he asked.

Justin shook his head "They were exploring a different part of the woods I guess," he said, setting down the bundle of firewood.

Hermione nodded "Yeah," she confirmed.

Seamus pointed at the rock in Lavender's hand "What's that?" he asked.

Lavender held it out "It's this rock with an eyeball, if you point it at something it's like a magnifier, I just found it laying in the woods and thought maybe we could use it," she replied.

Ernie's eyes lit up "That's so cool!" he exclaimed.

Harry nodded "Definitely, great find you guys, but before we can start planning we need to figure out where Neville and Hannah are," he said.

Susan's hand shot up "Leanne and I will go look for them!" she exclaimed. Leanne nodded anxiously. Both of them had a feeling of what might be going on and wanted to see for themselves.

Harry nodded "Okay great, thanks guys," he said. "I'll help!" Seamus interjected, noticing how eager Susan and Leanne looked to find out what was going on, and he was always up for an opportunity to potentially joke with or embarass Neville.

Harry shrugged "Alright, but try and find them fast, I'm sure they just got lost or something," he said.

Susan and Leanne were giggling as they ran off into the woods, Seamus sprinted behind them. They ran as fast as they could to the opposite edge of the forest, Seamus stepped on a twig with a loud crack. "Shut up!" Leanne hissed.

Seamus scowled "Sorry!" he said.

Suddenly, Susan stopped in her tracks, shushing both of them. "Merlin's beard! That's...oh God...that's the single most adorable thing I've ever seen..." she giggled quietly. Leanne squinted "Awww look at Hannah!" she squeaked, clapping her hand over her mouth.

Seamus stared, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Who knew Neville had it in 'im!" he breathed in disbelief. "Now if we could just get Ron and Hermione to do that..." he added with a chuckle.

Susan slowly motioned for them to follow and get closer. Neville had his arms linked around Hannah's waist and Hannah had her hands holding onto Neville's padded vest, they looked pretty serious. "Awwwww!" Susan and Leanne chorused together. Behind them, Seamus emerged clapping loudly with a silly grin on his face..

Neville and Hannah jumped apart, blushing bright red. "Er..." Neville found himself speechless, Hannah was giving her roommates death glares.

Seamus grinned "I called it, I knew ya liked her!" he boasted.

Susan raised an eyebrow "No you didn't-?" she rolled her eyes.

Leanne was jumping up and down "Oh Merlin this is sooo exciting!" she said.

Neville cleared his throat "We're late aren't we...for the meeting-?" he asked sheepishly.

Seamus nodded "Yeah, come on let's get back," he said.

They all trekked back through the woods and out into the clearing where everyone was waiting. "Where were you guys?" Hermione exclaimed, eyes wide.

Seamus grinned "Found these two snoggin' behind a tree..." he said in a mischevious tone.

Ernie bust out laughing "Merlin Hannah...your face looks like a tomato!" he exclaimed.

Hannah rolled her eyes "Shut up Ernie," she mumbled, looking at her feet.

Lavender shot Seamus a disapproving look "Really? You just had to go and interrupt them?" she asked.

Seamus threw up his hands defensively "Hey! I just helped...it was mainly Leanne and Susan!" he protested.

Harry held up his hand "Okay okay, come on everyone just sit down, we need to sort this all out," he said, trying to contain his own laughter. Hermione nodded and and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment.

Ron looked at her "Where'd you get that?" he asked.

Hermione smiled "Again, McGonagall gave me a few things on the way out!" she said. "Now, let's do this..."


	5. Cracking Old Codes

**A/N: 12 reviews! Aaah that's the most I've ever had on any of my HP fics! I realized I probably don't get a lot on my other ones because I never visit any of the forums or anything and I also usually don't update super often, so if I keep updating this regularly then hopefully the reviews will keep coming! JKR IS AMAZING, ALL COPYRIGHT IS HERS, SHE IS AWESOME FOR WRITING HARRY POTTER :) **

**Irishdanceringrulz1776 I'm going to use your suggestion (Dean, Ginny, etc) in chapter 6. :)**

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_**Cracking Old Codes**_

Harry thought for a minute "Okay so I think we should first start off by establishing what we need to do," he said.

Hermione nodded "Yeah. So guys, what's our main objective here?" she prompted.

Ernie raised his hand "We've got to find Merlin's magical scepter for Dumbledore so we can stop You Know Who once and for all," he said.

Leanne shook her head "But Professor McGonagall said it may not even be here, there's no guarentee we'll find it," she commented.

Seamus nodded "She did say there might be clues here though, if not the actual scepter," he reminded them.

Harry seemed to be contemplating something "Look guys, I think it _is _here, it's just a matter of if we'll be able to find it or not and if in fact it still works. We need to get some clues on where it is or might be," he said suddenly.

Neville looked confused "But where are we going to get the clues Harry?" he asked.

Harry scratched his chin "I think we'll be needing to make another trip to the library today," he decided.

Susan's hand shot up "I just remembered something!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

Ernie grinned "What is it Suz?" he asked eagerly. Everyone rolled their eyes, he was totally hitting on Susan and they all knew it.

Susan looked at Leanne before continuing. "When Leanne and I went to get the water there was this massive hole in the ground...probably about three feet deep but we didn't really pay it much attention," she said.

Harry nodded "Hermione, write that down," he said. Hermione smiled "Already did," she replied, holding up the piece of parchment. It had scribbled notes about what Susan had just told them.

_~Notes, Agenda, Clues, Etc...~_

_-Hole near stream in the woods, about three feet deep, have some people investigate._

Ron grinned "Always ahead of the game 'Mione," he said. Hermione blushed slightly.

Wayne raised his hand "So should we assign people to do specific tasks or do all of the tasks together?" he inquired.

Harry thought for a minute "I think we should _all _go to the library, I definitely think it will take all of us to research and find clues. But it wouldn't hurt to have like two people go check out that hole really quick while we're figuring this all out," he replied.

Seamus snickered "Not Neville and Hannah," he joked. Neville and Hannah turned bright red, smiled awkwardly at eachother, and then looked at their feet. Lavender shot him another disapproving look as if saying 'really Seamus?'.

Harry chuckled "Yeah sorry guys, let's just have Leanne and Susan do it again," he decided.

Ernie's hand sky rocketed "Can I go instead of Leanne?" he volunteered, not even bothering to be subtle anymore.

Leanne shot him a weird look. "Uh, yeah sure whatever," Harry said. Susan blushed a deep shade of red as Ernie winked at her. They both got up and left towards the woods.

Justin glanced at Wayne "They're going to be in there a while," he snickered quietly.

Wayne grinned "Yeah, at this rate we may as well have sent Neville and Hannah," he laughed. Hannah glared at him.

They were interrupted by Hermione's voice explaining something. "So we'll probably need to check out the restricted section, that's where McGonagall got the book she was looking for, I'm sure there's loads of helpful hints in there," she was saying.

Harry cocked an eyebrow "Hang on, what _was _that book McGongall took and what did it say?" he asked suddenly.

Ron nodded slowly "Yeah guys, Harry's got a point, we never really found out what she was looking for in there," he agreed.

Hermione thought for a second "You know, I think she may have put it back after we left," she mused.

Hannah raised her hand slowly "I just remembered, I think I caught a quick glimpse of the title," she said.

Lavender spun to look at her "What was it?" she asked excitedly.

Hannah closed her eyes for a minute, trying to remember. "Oh! Er, it was something about ancient codes. I think it said something like 'A Warlock's Guide to Cracking Old Codes'," she recalled.

Hermione raised an eyebrow "I think Hannah's right, it was definitely something along those lines, because now that I think about it, I saw the book too," she said.

Harry ran a hand across his messy jet black hair and adjusted his glasses, sighing tiredly. "Can either of you remember the _exact _title though? I'll bet there's loads of old books in there about code cracking," he said.

Leanne's hand shot up "It had rubies and emeralds along it's binding," she recalled.

Hannah nodded eagerly "Yes! Yes it did! Leanne's right, I remember seeing that too!" she agreed.

Seamus grinned "It was pretty thick too, atleast six hundred pages I'd guess," he commented.

Hermione had scribbled this information down on the piece of parchment.

_~Notes, Agenda, Clues, Etc...~_

_-Hole near stream in the woods, about three feet deep, have some people investigate._

_-Look for big old book, maybe called A Warlock's Guide to Cracking Old Codes or something like that, about six hundred pages, rubies and emeralds along binding, located in the restricted section of the Hogwarts library._

Justin raised his hand "So you guys definitely think Professor McGonagall put it back on the shelf?" he asked.

Hermione nodded "I'd assume so, unless she really needs it to track down Helena Ravenclaw, which seems unlikely," she replied.

Neville cleared his throat "Why d-do you think s-she had it out a-anyways? I-If it's just about cracking old codes, t-then why would she need i-it to explain our jobs?" he inquired.

Hannah piped up "Excellent point! She didn't even refer to it really when she was telling us about Merlin _or _the diadem, so what purpose would it serve to have it out?" she agreed, scooting closer to Neville.

Wayne shook his head "I'll bet she had it out as a clue for either us or the other group, _she _didn't use it, but wanted to see if any of _us _would remember it!" he exclaimed.

Harry nodded "Makes sense."

Ron scratched his chin "It had to have been a clue for us, if it was meant for the Ravenclaws and Slytherins and she's going with them, she could just tell them herself. We're the ones left out here without a professor's guidance, we're the ones who need the clues," he decided.

Leanne smiled "This is so exciting! I can't wait to get cracking on solving this mystery!" she said gleefully.

Hermione laughed "There's only one way to know for certain, let's head up to the library as soon as Ernie and Susan get back," she said.

Wayne exchanged a sideways glance with Justin "Where _are_ Ernie and Susan anyways?" he asked with a sly smile.

Seamus grinned "Aw no! Now we're gonna have to send out another search party!" he bust out laughing.

Harry rolled his eyes, nearly joining in the laughing himself. "Okay er, Wayne and Seamus you guys go," he said.

Leanne scowled "Can't I go too?" she pleaded.

Harry shrugged "Yeah that's fine, just no more than three people because we do really need to stop fooling around and get going," he said with a slight chuckle.

Leanne was halfway up when Hannah yanked her back down. "No no Leanne, since you and Susan thought it was so funny to spy on me, I want to go and spy on her, you went last time," she said.

Leanne frowned "Hey! Seamus gets to go again!" she argued. But Hannah had already skipped off after Seamus and Wayne, so Leanne sat back down with a heavy sigh, all she wanted was to get the dish on her roommates.

Justin laughed "Maybe next time Leanne," he said apologetically. "I'd like to hear the gossip myself, it's hard to resist," he added.

Lavender giggled "Isn't romance gossip the most addicting type?" she agreed.

Leanne nodded "Don't I know it!" she exclaimed.

Harry held up his hands "Hey, hey guys, calm down. We really need to focus here," he chuckled. Ron and Neville grinned.

Seamus, Wayne, and Hannah all trekked through the woods to the stream. "I don't see 'em anywhere!" Seamus said, looking around in every direction for any sign of Ernie or Susan. Nothing.

Hannah shushed them and tiptoed around a few trees "Merlin's beard, are they even back here?" she asked, exhasparated.

Wayne grinned "I have an idea," he said. He motioned for them to follow him around to the other side of the stream where there was a cluster of bushes. "Rictusempra!" he shouted, Ernie flew out of the bushes.

Hannah's mouth dropped and her eyes went wide "Susan...for Merlin's sake what were you two _doing _back here?!" she squeaked.

Seamus and Wayne tried not to bust out laughing as Susan emerged from the bushes. Her long red hair was out of the bun it had been in and she was scrambling to fix the undone buttons on her dress. "Er, nothing..." she muttered.

Hannah giggled "Sure, you guys did absolutely nothing, and Ernie's wand is just extremely pointy because-?" she teased.

Susan's face went as red as her hair "Er...". Hannah bust out in a fit of giggles. Seamus and Wayne were rolling on the ground laughing their heads off.

Ernie got to his feet and brushed himself off, leaping behind a tree as soon as he looked down, and Hannah's joke hadn't helped the matter. This caused even more laughter to erupt from Seamus and Wayne.

Hannah rolled her eyes "Seriously guys, we need to get back!" she told them.

Seamus nodded reluctantly "Yeah, listen up you lot, we're goin' up to the library Harry says, he asked us to find you guys so we could get there," he added.

Susan was trying to pin her hair back up "Let's go," she mumbled awkwardly. "Come on Ern, you look fine," she reassured Ernie who was hiding behind the tree.

Wayne cocked an eyebrow "Suz? Ern? Fooling around in the bushes? What is this, you guys getting together or something?" he chuckled. Susan didn't say anything but followed after Hannah who was rushing to get back.

Suddenly she came to a halt "Wait!" she exclaimed.

Seamus, who was even more far ahead than Hannah, also turned around. "What?" he called.

Ernie ran up beside Susan, panting. "We, uh, we found that massive hole in the ground. There was a piece of paper in it with the title of a book on it," he wheezed.

Hannah spun around "What was the title?" she prompted eagerly.

Susan shrugged "It said 'Warlock's Guide to the Ancient Art of Deciphering Codes'," she replied as if it were no big deal.

Ernie nodded "There was some numbers and letters on it too," he added, handing over a crumpled piece of old parchment.

Seamus's eyes lit up "Jackpot!" he grinned, fist bumping Wayne. "Hurry, we gotta tell Harry!" he added, bounding off through the trees towards the clearing. They all ran after him.

Hermione looked up, worried. "There you guys are!" she said. "Did you find anything by the stream in that hole?" she inquired eagerly.

Seamus was about to make another smart ass remark, but decided against it. "They found a piece a' paper with a book title, here, I'll bet this is the book Professor McGonagall had before," he said instead, handing over the old parchment to Harry.

Harry grinned "Brilliant! Let's get up to the library, and remember, be as discreet as possible!" he said. Everyone nodded. They all quickly made their way back up onto the Hogwarts grounds and snuck in through the courtyard entrance.

Once inside the library, Hermione rushed back to the restricted section, they all followed eagerly. "Alohamora," she whispered, pointing her wand at the thick lock that held the gates closed. Quietly, the gates swung open, and Hermione tiptoed inside.

Ernie shifted anxiously on his feet "I wonder if this code on the paper is in the book," he mused.

Neville nodded "Probably," he agreed.

Suddenly, Hermione appeared with a giant open book in her hands, and a huge grin spreading across her face. "I've found it! This is that code!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

Harry rushed over to look for himself "Yeah, that's definitely it," he agreed, grinning broadly.

Ron peered over Hermione's shoulder "Blimey 'Mione, that's brilliant!" he breathed in disbelief that they'd solved it so quickly. "What does it mean?" he asked.

Hermione laughed "It says here that it translates to dragons," she replied matter of factly.

Ernie cocked an eyebrow "Dragons? That's it...?" he asked.

Hannah leaned in too look also "It looks like there's all sorts of information, look there's even a map of the forest, maybe it will tell us where to find the other codes!" she said. Everyone peered down at the old page to see what it said;

_Q262_

_~Chapter XI; Magical Mysteries of the Scottish Glens~_

_Warlocks and witches alike hath wondered what lies hidden in this magical land_

_Deep beneath the ground, deep beneath the lochs, lie mysteries that remain unknown and feared by wizardkind._

_Some hath said that dragons inhabit caves hidden within the isolated glens_

_Others that mermaids and mermen inhabit our lochs._

_Decipher key: _

_0162-Merpeople_

_0161-Dragons_

_0160-Centaurs_

_0159-Banshees_

_0158-Loch_

_0157-Glen_

_0156-Forest_

_..._

Ron looked up "Blimey that's alot of codes!" he said. "There must be like a hundred on there," he mused at the two full pages of codes.

Hermione smiled "See this slip of parchment said 0161, it matches with dragons. So our clue is dragons, and according to this it sounds like there's a ton of possible codes that could give us clues," she said.

Justin raised his hand "How could all of those codes fit together to help us?" he asked skeptically.

Hermione thought for a second "Well they don't all necessarily have to fit together in the sense we expect, perhaps these are all clues to different parts of the area to help us understand our surroundings, thus knowing what to expect while out searching or something like that," she said.

Susan nodded slowly "Yeah makes sense," she agreed.

Hermione nodded "Here I'm going to check this out, let's get back to our camp," she said.

Hannah smiled "I'll go with you, I just found this book that may be useful," she said.

Hermione looked at the large book Hannah was holding, _Dragons of Medieval Scotland. _"See, if this clue says dragons, then maybe there's something in there that can help," Hannah said. Hermione nodded "Oh good idea, yeah it definitely can't hurt," she agreed.

Everyone nodded and began to once again file out of the library as Hannah and Hermione went over to the front desk. An elderly librarian sat reading a giant spellbook. "Excuse me Madam, could we check out this book please?" she asked, placing the book on the table.

The librarian nodded and wrote something down, she handed the book back over them, and then went back to what she'd been reading. Hannah grinned at Hermione "Come on, we've got codes to crack!" she exclaimed. Hermione nodded "Oh yes," she agreed. They rushed out of the library doors to join the others.


	6. Left Behind

**A/N: Hey, so I decided to write you guys another chapter. :) JKR owns all.**

* * *

_**Left Behind**_

Meanwhile back at Hogwarts in the Gryffindor common room, Dean Thomas had some exciting news. "I've finished it!" he announced triumphantly. Ginny Weasley and t Parvati Patil looked a bit skeptical.

"What is it exactly?" asked Fay Dunbar.

"It's a giant time turner," Dean answered proudly.

"Dean how in the world did you build that?!" Ginny asked, beaming at her boyfriend.

"I dunno, I just found some different parts in the Room of Requirement, and I just sorta pieced it together," Dean shrugged.

"So even if we did try to use this thing, how can you be so sure that we'll end up exactly where the others are?" Parvati questioned.

"I'm not sure, but it's worth a shot," Dean said.

Fay examined it curiously "I'm in, I want to see Michael, he'll be so glad to see me!" she said. She was dating Michael Corner who was currently on the "field trip".

Ginny smiled sadly "I wish I could go with you guys, but I'm just a fifth year," she sighed.

Dean grinned "It's okay Ginny, come with us anyways!" he insisted.

Parvati nodded "Can I tell Padma?" she asked.

"Sure, go ahead and tell some of the other sixth years," Dean said.

"Okay! I'll be right back, when are we leaving?" Parvati asked.

Dean checked his watch "Let's go in like thirty minutes," he decided.

Parvati nodded and rushed out of the common room. Fay was gently stroking the brass turning handle. "Don't touch it Fay!" Dean snapped, eyes wide.

Fay shot him a weird look. "What Dean meant to say was, you don't want to accidentally turn the handle before everyone gets here..." Ginny interjected with a sheepish smile.

* * *

Parvati rushed up to Ravenclaw tower. She banged the eagle shaped knocker against the door. "Rich wizards have me, poor wizards want me, and if you eat me, you will most certainly die, what am I?" asked the knocker.

Parvati sighed "Hello? Is Padma Patil in there?" she called, knocking louder. She didn't have the patience for riddles.

Suddenly the door swung open, it was loony Luna Lovegood, a fifth year. "Oh hello Parvati, I think your sister is in her dormitory," she said in her usual spaced out dreamy tone.

"Can I come in?" Parvati asked impatiently.

"Sure you can," Luna smiled and stepped to the side. Parvati entered the Ravenclaw common room.

"Padma!" she called, rushing over to the stairs in the left corner of the large room.

She could hear a door open, then shut, and footsteps echoed down the stairs. Padma came into view "Hey Parvati!" she rushed down and hugged her sister tightly.

"What's going on Vati?" Padma asked eagerly.

"Dean Thomas built this huge time turner so we can all go on the field trip too!" Parvati said excitedly. "He's inviting those of us who weren't chosen by McGonagall, you in?" she asked eagerly.

Padma grinned "Duh! Oh this is sooooo cool!" she squeaked.

Just then Kevin Entwhistle came rushing down the stairs, a huge grin spread across his face. "I'm sorry! I was eavesdropping, can I come too?" he asked, eyes wide.

Parvati laughed "Sure Kevin," she said.

Luna walked over "What are you all talking about?" she asked curiously.

"This time travel field trip, it's a sixth year thing though," Padma said dismissively.

"Oh," Luna turned away, seemingly put out.

Parvati, knowing that Luna was good friends with Ginny, decided to be a bit nicer about the subject. "Actually Padma, Ginny Weasley is going, Luna can come if she wants to," she said.

Luna spun to face them, her bright blue eyes lit up in delight. "I'd love to!" she exclaimed eagerly.

Parvati shrugged "Cool, come on guys we need to go tell the Hufflepuffs," she said. Luna, Padma, and Kevin followed her out of Ravenclaw tower and down towards the kitchens and Hufflepuff basement.

Once they reached the barrel entrance, Parvati stopped in her tracks. "Er, does anyone know how to get in?" she asked.

Kevin shrugged "I think you have to tap the barrels, but in a specific rhythm, if you tap the wrong barrel or use the wrong rhythm then you get doused in vinegar," he said.

Padma scowled "Oh great," she muttered. "Yeah, let's not tell the Hufflepuffs then, I don't feel like getting vinegar all over me," she said.

Luna smiled dreamily "Let me try," she said. She tapped the barrel two from the bottom in the middle of the second row, a few seconds later a tunnel opened up. Luna beamed "There," she said.

Parvati's mouth dropped "How did you do that?" she asked.

Luna shrugged "It's simple if you already know," she replied as if telling a riddle.

Kevin was already halfway down the tunnel and the girls followed him. Soon they emerged inside the warm and cozy Hufflepuff basement common room. "Hey Zach!" Kevin waved to Zacharias Smith, who was sitting in one of the big yellow armchairs reading _The Daily Prophet_.

Zach turned, his eyes flew open in shock. "Er...hey, how did you guys get in here?" he asked.

Parvati nodded towards Luna "She did it," she said.

Zach shook his head "Um, okay, so what's going on?" he asked, confused.

Padma grinned excitedly "Dean Thomas built a giant time turner so we can all join the others on McGongall's field trip!" she exclaimed.

Zach's mouth dropped "Seriously?" he asked.

Parvati nodded "Yep, do you want to come?" she replied.

Zach nodded "Of course I do!" he snapped eagerly, nearly bouncing in his chair.

They heard footsteps as Megan Jones entered the common room. "Whoa, what's going on in here...a party?" she laughed.

Padma shook her head "Nope! We came to invite you guys, Dean Thomas built a giant time turner and we're all going to use it to see if we can meet up with

everyone on McGonagall's field trip!" she explained.

Megan grinned "Oh Merlin, that's awesome!" she squeaked. "Count us in!" she added.

Parvati laughed "Okay come on, Dean only gave me thirty minutes to get everyone, I think we'll be leaving soon," she said.

Zach raised his hand "Are you gonna invite the Slytherins?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Kevin looked at Parvati "I hope not, they'll ruin all the fun," he commented.

Megan nodded "Yeah I've got to agree there, I don't really want to have to spend any more time with Nott and Zabini than I already have to during classes," she said.

Padma giggled "Seriously," she agreed.

Zach shrugged "Hey I was only asking, let's go!" he said. They all left the Hufflepuff basement and headed back up to Gryffindor tower. Dean, Ginny, and Fay were waiting by the big time turner.

"Okay. That...is...soooo...cool!" Megan exclaimed.

"I know right?!" Fay agreed.

Dean whistled loudly "Hey!" he shouted over their excited chattering. They all shut up to give him their full attention. "Let's go, everyone get inside the chain while Ginny and I turn the knob," he instructed.

Fay, Parvati, Padma, Kevin, Luna, Zach, and Megan all joined Dean and Ginny inside the giant time turner's chain. "Okay Ginny, I think six turns should do it," Dean said. Ginny nodded and helped him turn the huge knob. Suddenly, the room began to swirl around them, and before they knew it-they landed in the glens surrounding Hogwarts hundreds of years ago.

"Brilliant!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Now to find the others..." Zach looked around.

Dean grinned "Come on, let's go exploring!" he announced, motioning for everyone to follow.

* * *

**A/N: I know not much happened here. And no I'm not screwing with your heads by making them end up in the same place but a different year, they WILL run into them in the next chapter. Also if you aren't a Dean/Ginny shipper-don't worry, I'm only shipping them for part of this fic to be somewhat accurate to the movie/book. :)**


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